A Shared Journey

When I decided to come to Germany for six months, I knew I would have a life altering experience. I would leave with a bigger understanding of the world and a better perspective of my own culture. I didn't (and still don't) know exactly the ways I would grow, but was certain that profound personal growth would occur. What I didn't know was who I would share this experience with. Who would accompany me on my journey, my heroic quest? No other Americans are on the team. In fact, I've yet to meet anyone from the states.

In these first 10 days, I've started to answer this question. You see football teams have a funny way of welcoming and embracing their members. It uses practice stations, conditioning sessions, team showers, and the McDonalds dollar menu after practice to build connections that pour quickly and set firmly (thankfully, these connections go deeper than something a language barrier might tear apart).

The roster of the Darmstadt Diamonds contains 19 year-old kids fresh from the youth program and high school studies and also men in the 30's with families and established careers. Despite coming from a wide variety of life stages, the team seems close--close enough that the middle-aged guys won't leave the game when their bodies are begging them to and the young guys find their best friends among the short roster. These men will share in my journey. Actually, it's more like I'm joining their story for a season rather than them contributing to mine.

Last weekend, I had my first traditional German meal in my town's small Bier Garten (no translation necessary I hope) with three of my 30+ teammates. We talked football, American politics, and German history over generous portions of schnitzel and potatoes. A group of 12 or so met up later that week at the apartment of one of the college students on the team. We had a 3 hour barbeque where I consumed more meat than I had ever dreamed I would. We sat outside and told stories for hours. Even though they spoke almost exclusively in German, story-telling can sometimes transcend the language in which it's told. At least, I think I know what most of them were about...

This weekend, a pair of defensive backs, the Kozak brothers (picture above), took me to a youth/young adult service at a church in Darmstadt on Friday night--a very interesting experience seeing the an evangelical service in this country. It was a welcoming, warm environment. The next morning, Nico and Phillip (other picture), another set of brothers on the team, took me to an old castle only a few miles from my home. Its name is Frankenstein but I haven't found out if it's connected with Mary Shelley's famous work. I've also included a picture of me with a catapult at the castle--very cool.

I'm blessed to have teammates so willing to walk me through life here. They are eager to share their worlds with me, and I thank God for them.

God bless!